Chamber Office Closed to Commemorate “Presidents’ Day”The Blair County Chamber Office will be closed on Monday, February 18th in observance of Presidents’ Day. The Office will re-open on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. For information on The Chamber or to register for a program or event, visit the Chamber website.

Deadline is Monday to Register for“ Role Models” Program The Chamber’s second “Role Models” program will be held this Thursday, February 21st, from noon until 1:30 p.m. at the Blair County Convention Center. Role Models is an interactive program in which two business leaders talk about the various aspects of their careers – the highs and the lows – and then answer questions from attendees. The February program features Bill Campbell from Hoss’s Steak & Sea House and Lee Hite of The Hite Company. The cost to attend is just $25 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members. Lunch is included. Deadline to register is Monday at noon. Call The Chamber at 943-8151, extension 312.

McGinnis to Address Executive RoundtableState Representative John McGinnis will be the guest speaker at Wednesday’s meeting of The Chamber’s Executive Roundtable, set for 7:30 a.m. at The Blairmont Club. Representative McGinnis will provide his observations on issues of interest to the business and education communities. For more information on the Executive Roundtable, contact Joe Hurd at 943-8151 or email him.

Amber Terrace to Host Wednesday’s “Business Before Hours”The next Chamber “Business Before Hours” will carry the dual distinction of a Grand Opening as well. Amber Terrace, part of the Altoona Center for Nursing Care, will debut its Specialized Care for the Memory Impaired this Wednesday, February 20th from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. The facility is located at 1020 Green Avenue in Altoona. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 8:00 and breakfast food items and tours of the facility will be available after the ribbon is cut. There is no cost to attend the event but registration is encouraged. To register, call The Chamber at 943-8151 or register online.

Foundation Board to Discuss Grant OpportunitiesThe Blair County Chamber Foundation has been effective in funding a variety of Chamber programs dealing with the education of Blair County’s young people. Much of that funding has come through grants. At its Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, the Foundation will discuss ways to access additional monies to fund at least one new program dealing with Early Childhood Education. “We have a grant application that will ultimately be the precursor to applying for a certification to access EITC monies for Early Childhood Education,” explained Cindy Cessna, Secretary/Treasurer of the Foundation. “We will be looking at other grants as well.” The Blair County Chamber Foundation is a 501 C-3 that funds The Chamber’s BASICS program as well as Leadership Blair County and Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week. To make a donation, contact Cessna at 943-8151 or email her.

Chamber Board to Look at Organizational StructureAmong the agenda items at Thursday’s meeting of the Chamber Board of Directors will be a discussion of the current organizational structure which includes a growing list of Chamber committees. “It’s been suggested that we take a look at how the committees are grouped and what oversight there should be to make them more collectively effective,” explained Chamber President Joe Hurd. The Board meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Devorris Center. Anyone wishing to address the Board should contact Hurd at 943-8151 by noon on Tuesday.

Home & Garden Show Nearing Booth SelloutThe 43rd Annual Blair County Home & Garden Show is less than two weeks away and indications are that every exhibitor booth and all sixteen spots in the Home Treasure rooms will be accounted for. “We added space for exhibitors and we doubled the Home Treasures space and it still looks like we will sell out,” explained Stacy Hoover of The Chamber. “It should be an exceptional show.” The show begins on March 1st and continues through March 3rd. Show times are Friday, 1-9; Saturday, 10-9; and Sunday, Noon -5. There will be how-to clinics, hourly door prizes and free parking. Admission is only $3.00 for adults and kids under-twelve are free. Show sponsors are: CCS Custom Builders, Furniture Unfinished, Home Depot, Re-Bath, Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete; and Warner Landscaping & Property Maintenance. The Home & Garden Show is a joint production of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce and the Blair-Bedford Builders Association.
Retail, Restaurant Programs to Continue MondayThe first of The Chamber’s “Blair County: It’s Our Business” television programs for 2013 will continue Monday on Public Access Channel 14. The half-hour programs are moderated by Carolyn Donaldson of WTAJ-TV. The first program is entitled: “Blair County Retail: Driving Our Local Economy.” It will run every Monday during February at 6:00 p.m. and every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Panelists are Jack Eberhardt of the Pleasant Valley Shopping Center; Lou Kanzleiter of Preit (Logan Valley Mall); Todd Lewis of Shoe Fly Stores; and Travis Muccitelli of Park Audio Plus. The second program is: “Our Dining Destinations: Blair County Restaurants.” That program also runs on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout February but at 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. Panelists are George Batrus of Tom & Joe’s; Husam Obeid of Phoenicia Mediterranean Restaurant; Teresa Patterson of LaScalia’s Restaurant; and Karen Wyland of Mamie’s Café and Bakery. Corporate sponsors for both shows are: Altoona Mirror, Blair Companies, Shirley’s Cookie Company and WPS.
Nominated Anyone Yet for the Business Excellence Award?Nominations are being accepted for the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence. The award, the highest given to an individual by The Chamber, will be presented at the Business Excellence Dinner, set for June 10th. The 2013 award recipient will be the twelfth since Ernie Wissinger received the first in 2002. Other winners have been G. William Ward (2003), Stephen Sheetz (2004), Donald Devorris (2005), Willard Campbell (2006), John Wolf (2007), Lee Hite (2008), Donald Detwiler (2009), Michael McLanahan (2010), Barry Smith (2011) and Fred Imler (2012). Nomination forms can be secured by calling The Chamber Office at 943-8151 or by clicking here.

Chamber Golf Classic Registration UnderwayRegistration is underway for the 2013 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield / Chamber Golf Classic. The popular event is set for Monday, May 13th at Iron Masters Country Club in Ore Hill. The price of participating remains the same -- $150-per-golfer and $600 for a foursome – and that includes golf, a delicious luncheon, a special gift for each golfer, a post-Classic reception and Comfort Carts that keep the golfers hydrated. For the second consecutive year, the event will feature a ball drop, coordinated through Pine Bottom Aviation Services of Martinsburg. To reserve a team or an individual spot in this year’s event, contact The Chamber at 943-8151.

Still Time to Register for Dale Carnegie’s “Skills For Success” The Blair County Chamber is once again partnering with Dale Carnegie Training on its highly-popular “Skills For Success” program. The eight-week course was scheduled to begin January 31st but that date has been changed until February 28th from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the Comfort Inn in Duncansville. The course is designed to help attendees build greater self-confidence, strengthen people skills, communicate more effectively, develop leadership skills, reduce stress and improve attitude. For more information contact The Chamber at (814) 943-8151.

Recruitment Process Continues for “Hiring Our Heroes”The Blair County Chamber of Commerce will partner with the U.S. Chamber on a major event that is expected to have considerable impact on local employers and military job seekers. “Hiring Our Heroes” is a nationwide effort initiated by the U.S. Chamber in March of 2011 to help veterans and military spouses to find meaningful employment. Since that time, 220 hiring fairs have taken place in 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia resulting in more than 10,400 hirings. On April 10, 2013, a Hiring Our Heroes fair will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. The event is free for both employers and job seekers. Job seekers are limited to military veterans and their spouses. Employers will not be required to pay for exhibitor space, they must at least verify that they have legitimate jobs to offer. Any employers interested in reserving exhibitor space should go to HOH.greatjob.net. Job seekers can register on that same site. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Chamber Members Sponsoring Addiction and Recovery SeminarsBlair County Drug & Alcohol Program, Inc. and Saint Joseph Institute are co-sponsoring a series of seminars on addiction and recovery. The first seminar, entitled “Understanding Addiction: Why is It So Hard to Stop?” will be held on February 27th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Altoona. There is no charge to attend. To register, call (814) 692-4954, Ext. 310.

Blair County Offices Offering Program for Returning VeteransThe Blair County Recorder of Deeds Office, in cooperation with the Blair County Veteran’s Affairs Office, has announced a new program for returning veterans. The program, called “Project: Welcome Home” is designed to help welcome veterans home, encourage them to record their Military Discharge Form (DD 214) with the Blair County Recorder of Deeds Office for safe keeping and future use, to promote local businesses that participate in this program and also to support Buy Here. Live Here. Businesses are asked to consider offering discounts to returning veterans as part of the program. For more information, contact Mary Ann Bennis at 693-3095 or Tim Teltow at 693-3160Blue Card DiscountsHere are a few of the discounts you can receive with your Chamber Blue Card. Click here to see the full list of Blue Card Discounts. To have an offer listed contact Jessica Meck at The Chamber at 943-8151.